Folding chair and rack



July 5, 1966 H. c. BANKE 3,259,429

FOLDING CHAIR AND RACK Filed Nov. 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [22 vEnZar' Henry C 560%? July 5, 1966 H. c. BANKE FOLDING CHAIR AND RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 27, 1964 Hen/y an 6' 2 W) M Q? a United States Patent 3,259,429 FOLDING CHAIR AND BACK Henry C. Banke, Chicago, 111., assignor to Clarin Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 414,201 4 Claims. (Cl. 297-492) This invention relates to a folda-ble chair and, more particularly, to a foldable chair having a storage rack below the heat for the temporary storage of books, hats, and other personal articles.

Nonafolda'ble chairs, commonly referred to as fourposter chairs, have long been provided with storage racks but, with the non-fcldable type of chair, there has never been any difficulty encountered with respect to the rack because the rack has been securely fastened either to the bottom of the seat or to the four legs. With the foldable type of chair, it is not possible to rigidly fasten the rack to the seat or to the four legs. The attachment of the rack to the four legs would obviously interfere with the folding of the chair, and the attachment of the rack to the seat would not permit the chair to be collapsed into a small compact space which is always desirable.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide a foldable chair having an improved form of storage rack which may be readily attached to and removed from the chair; to provide an improved storage rack for foldable chairs which is constructed so that when the chair is collapsed the rack is automatically folded into the plane of the collapsed chair so that the folded chair will be comp-act for storage purposes; to provide a foldable chair rack having an improved form of hanger for detachably securing the rack to the chair frame; to provide a storage rack of this type having an improved form of shelf shaped so as to coact with a cross brace of the frame for securely clamping the rack shelf against the top face of the chair seat when the chair is collapsed; and to provide a foldable chair having a storage rack accessory which is attractive in appearance, inexpensive to manufacture, efficient in use, and which may be readily attached. to and removed from the chair.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a foldable tablet arm chair to which is attached an improved storage rack.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front elevational view showing the chair in collapsed or folded position for storage but showing the tablet arm disposed at right angles to the plane of the chair.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2 but omitting the tablet arm.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of .the chair in partially collapsed position and with portions of the lower part of the chair broken away and the tablet arm omitted for the sake of clearness in order to illustrate the swinging movement of the rack shelf.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail in perspective showing a portion of the chair as it appears when viewed from the rear and illustrating the means for attaching the rack hanger to the rear cross brace of the chair, the dotted outline representing the position of the hanger before it is pressed downwardly into engagement with the cross brace.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the improved rack.

Foldable chairs .to which my improved rack may be attached as an accessory may be of the so-called X-f-rame type as illustrated in my Patent No. 3,099,479, dated July 30, 1963, or of the :so-called Y-frame type as illustrated in Patent No. 3,029,105, dated April 10, 1962.

In the form shown in .the drawings, my improved rack is applied to a chair of the X-frame type which has substantially the identical construction shown in my Patent No. 3,099,479.

3,259,429 Patented July 5, 1966 In :the form shown, the chair embodies a frame 1, on which is supported a hinged seat 3 and backrest 5, and on one side of which is mounted a tablet arm 7 which connected at its rear end to the frame 1 by a universal joint 9, and which is further supported by an L-shaped supporting member 11 to which it is connected by a universal joint 13. Detachably supported on the frame 1 below the seat 3 is an improvedv rack 15 embodying my invention.

In the construction illustrated, the frame 1 includes a member 17 of inverted U-sh-ape, the upper end of which forms a bight in which the baclcrest 5 is mounted, and the lower end-s of which form a pair of front supporting legs 19. A pair of rear supporting legs 21 are pivotally connected to the front supporting legs 19 by hinge pins 23 (FIG. 4), and the rear legs 21 are provided with upwardly extending arms 25 which are pivotally connected to the .two side edges of the seat 3 by pins 26.

Extending between the two front legs 19, is a cross brace 27 having its end-s bent around the front legs 19 and rigidly secured thereto 'by welding, riveting, or other suitable means. Also, extending between the two front legs directly below the rear portion of the seat 3, is a similar cross brace 29 having its ends also curled around and rigidly attached to the front legs, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 4.

Extending between the two rear legs 21, and disposed in parallel spaced relation to each other, are cross braces 31 and 33, the ends of which are rigidly secured to the inner surfaces of the two rear 'le-gs. These two braces 31 and 33 have coextensive medial rearwardly projecting beads 32 and 34, respectively.

The seat 3 may be made of any suitable material and, if desired, may also be upholstered. At its forward portion, the seat is supported by the arms 25 of the rear legs 21, and the rear end of the seat is carried by two side links 35 pi'votally secured to the seat by pins 37 and to the front legs 19 by pins 39 (FIG. 4). The lower ends of the links 35 are provided with extensions or fingers 41 adapted to abut against the cross brace 29 to rigidly support the seat when the chair is in operative position. These fingers 41 also are adapted to coact with pins 43 on the side edges of the seat when the chair is collapsed.

The tablet arm 7, universal joint 9, universal joint 13 and L-shaped supporting member 11 are of substantially the same construction and arrangement as shown in my Patent No. 3,099,479 and need not be further described in detail. The construction permits the tablet arm to be rigidly supported in the horizontal operative position shown in FIGURE 1 when the chair is in use and also permits the tablet arm to be swung into a vertical plane and then rocked downwardly alongside of the chair to the position shown in FIGURE 2 after which the tablet arm is swung inwardly so as to lie flat against the chair when the chair is in the collapsed form shown in FIGURE 2.

The L-shaped supporting member 11, which is of the same construction shown in my Patent No. 3,099,479, includes a substantially upright bar 45 which slidably supports a portion of the universal joint 13, an intermediate curved portion 47, and a horizontal bar 49 which is rotatably mounted in a pair of bearings 51 which are rigidly secured to the front face of the cross brace 27 on the front legs 19.

The upper leg of the curved portion 47 is slightly offset rearwardly, as shown at 53, so that, when the chair is collapsed, the upper bar 45 of the L-shaped supporting member 11 will lie in the plane of the folded chair. Spanning the curved portion 47, is an inclined corner brace 55 having its ends welded, riveted, or otherwise rigidly secured to the upright bar 45 and to the horizontal bar 49 of the L-shaped supporting member. This corner brace 55 not only reinforces the L-shaped supporting sewa e member 11 but it serves two additional purposes, namely, it coacts with one of the front legs19 to limit the rearward movement of the upright bar 45 when the chair is collapsed, and it also serves as a cam for positively moving the improved rack shelf from its horizontal operative position to a vertical position when the chair is collapsed as hereinafter described.

The improved rack embodying this invention is preferably made of steel wire suitably plated and of sufficient gauge to provide the necessary strength and rigidity to withstand the abuse to which school room chairs are usually subjected.

As illustrated in the perspective view shown in FIG- URE 6, the improved rack comprises a hanger portion 57 and a shelf portion 59 pivotally secured together.

As herein illustrated, the hanger 57 comprises a U-shaped frame wire 61 having a horizontally disposed hinge base portion 63 and two end arms 65, the upper extremities of which are bent to provide a pair of hooks 67 adapted to fit snugly over the two ends of the chairs cross brace 33, as clearly illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. The wire of the hooks 67 is sufficiently resilient so as permit the hooks 67 to open slightly to receive the ends of the cross brace 33 when pressure is applied to force the hanger downwardly into operative position.

Extending between the two end arms 65, is a top cross bar 69 which is so positioned that, when the hanger is supported in operative position, the top cross bar 69 will engage the lower surface of the bead 34 and thereby serves to lock the hanger against accidental displacement. A series of vertically disposed cross wires 71 are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the members 63 and 69 to strengthen the hanger and also to serve as a back wall for the rack.

The improved shelf 59, clearly illustrated in FIGURE 6, comprises a rear bar 73 and a front bar 75 disposed in substantially parallel spaced relation to each other and forming supports for a series of loops 77, 79, 81 and 83 which form the bottom or supporting surface of the shelf. One end of the bar 75 is bent and inclined rearwardly to provide a cam bar 85, the rear extremity of which is bent to provide a hook 87 for pivotal attachment to the hinge bar 63. Also, the outer arm of the loop 83 has a rear end which is similarly provided with a hook 89 which is pivotally attached to the hinge bar 63.

When the rack is in its operative position, the forward ends of the loops 79, 81 and 83 rest upon the chairs forward cross brace 27 with the bar 75 disposed directly above the horizontal bar 49 of the L-shaped support 45, and the forward end of the cam bar 85 positioned in close proximity to the inclined corner brace 55, as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 1.

With this arrangement, therefore, when the chair is collapsed, the inclined corner brace 55 serves as a cam to immediately rock the shelf 59 away from the cross brace 27 around the pivotal axis 63.

In order .to cause the shelf 59 to be firmly pressed against the top surface of the seat 3 when the chair is collapsed, the rear end of the shelf is slightly offset downwardly as illustrated in FIGURE 6. This is accomplished by bending the rear ends of the loops 77, 79, 81 and 83 as well as the rear ends of the bars on which the hooks 87 and 89 are formed. Due to this offset at the rear end of the shelf 75, when the chair is collapsed, the rear face of the cross brace 27 presses firmly against the lower portion of the shelf 59 so as to thereby hold the outer portion of the shelf in firm contact with the seat 3.

In operation, to attach the improved rack to a folding chair of the type shown in the drawings, the chair is opened to its operative position and the shelf 59 of the rack is placed on the cross brace 27. The hanger portion 57 is then moved to the rear of the cross brace 33 and the hooks 67 are pressed downwardly over the ends of the cross brace 33 until the upper bar 69 snaps into place 'below the horizontal bead .34. The rack is now in operative position for supporting books, hats, and other personal articles.

Before collapsing the chair, the tablet arm 7 is moved from the position shown in FIGURE 1 to the position shown in FIGURE 2 as more fully described in my Patent No. 3,099,479. To collapse or fold the chair, the top of the chair is grasped and tilted in the manner shown in FIGURE 4, so as to permit the rear legs and seat to move into the plane of the frame member 17, as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3. The intermediate collapsed position is illustrated in FIGURE 4. During the initial closing or collapsing movement, the inclined bar rides on the inclined corner brace 55, as illustrated in FIG- URE 4, thereby rocking the shelf 59 rearwardly and upwardly around the hinge pin 63. When the chair is fully collapsed, the front cross brace 27 presses against the lower portion of the shelf 59 so as to firmly secure the upper or forward portion of the shelf against the front or top face of the seat 3 thereby securing the rack against objectionable rattling.

When the chair is unfolded so as to move the parts into operative position, the lower or forward edge of the seat 3 presses against the shelf 59 so as to cause the shelf to rock forwardly around the hinge 63 and drop onto the upper edge of the cross brace 27.

If it is desired to use the chair without the storage rack, the rack may be readily removed by merely pressing upwardly on the hanger 57, thereby disengaging the bar 69 from the head 34 and simultaneously lifting the hooks 67 from the ends of the cross bar 33.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a foldable chair and a storage rack mounted on the chair for movement between an operative position when the chair is unfolded and a collapsed position when the chair is folded, comprising a chair frame including means defining a chair back, a pair of front legs, a pair of rear legs, and a seat, said back, legs and seat being interconnected so as to render said frame collapsible, means supporting the forward portion of a storage rack at a given level when the rack is in the operative position, means secured to a front leg of said frame defining an elongated inclined surface positioned with one of its ends located in spaced relation to one leg of said frame beneath the forward portion of the storage rack when the chair is unfolded and the storage rack is in the operative position, said surface extending upwardly and outwardly from said one end toward said one leg of said frame, a hanger, means detachably securing said hanger to said chair frame at the rear thereof, a storage rack shelf pivotally attached to said hanger and adapted to extend forwardly therefrom into overlying relation to said storage rack supporting means, said shelf being essentially planar within its side and end edges and including a lateral edge adapted to slidably engage said inclined surface during folding of said frame so as to cause said shelf to be pivoted about said hanger upwardly and rearwardly into the collapsed position as said frame is folded.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein a generally horizontally disposed cross brace extends between said front legs of said chair, and wherein said means defining said inclined surface comprises a bar positioned with one of its ends located adjacent said front cross brace in spaced relation to one leg of said frame, said bar being disposed so as to extend upwardly and outwardly toward said one leg of said frame.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said edge of said shelf is diagonally inclined inwardly from its rearward to it forward end.

4. A foldable storage rack for use with a foldable chair including a pair of front legs, a pair of rear legs, a cross brace extending between the legs of each of said pairs, and means secured to a front leg of said chair defining an elongated inclined surface positioned with one of its ends located in spaced relation to one front leg of said chair and extending upwardly and outwardly in the direction of said one leg, said rack comprising a hanger including a frame adapted to define a back wall of the storage rack and a pair of downwardly opening hooks secured to the upper end of said framework detachably engageable with the rear cross brace of the chair, a shelf pivotally hinged at the lower edge of said frame adapted to extend forwardly into engagement with the upper edge of the front cross brace, said shelf including a lateral edge inclined inwardly from the rearward toward the forward end of the shelf adapted to slidably engage the elongated References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,147,505 7/1915 Henigson 211-31 2,664,943 1/1954 Clarin 297-162 X 2,706,517 4/ 1955 Dexter et al. 211-42 2,748,841 6/1956 Rirnkus 297-192 2,973,807 3/1961 Close -1 297-192 3,025,100 3/1962 Morgan 297-41 3,029,105 4/ 1962 Junkunc 297-189 3,099,479 7/1963 Banke 297-36 3,160,438 12/1964 Davis 297-192 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

J. T. MCCALL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION OF A FOLDABLE CHAIR AND A STORAGE RACK MOUNTED ON THE CHAIR FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHEN THE CHAIR IS UNFOLDED AND A COLLAPSED POSITION WHEN THE CHAIR IS FOLDED, COMPRISING A CHAIR CRAME INCLUDING MEANS DEFINING A CHAIR BACK, A PAIR OF FRONT LEGS, A PAIR OF REAR LEGS, AND A SEAT, SAID BACK, LEGS AND SEAL BEING INTERCONNECTED SO AS TO RENDER SAID FRAME COLLAPSIBLE, MEANS SUPPORTING THE FORWARD PORTION OF A STORAGE RACK AT A GIVEN LEVEL WHEN THE RACK IS IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION, MEANS SECURED TO A FRONT LEG OF SAID FRAME DEFINING AN ELONGATED INCLINED SURFACE POSITIONED WITH ONE OF ITS ENDS LOCATED IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE LEG OF SAID FRAME BENEATH THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE STORAGE RACK WHEN THE CHAIR IS UNFOLDED AND THE STORAGE RACK IS IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION, SAID SURFACE EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM SAID ONE END TOWARD SAID ONE LEG OF SAID FRAME, A HANGER, MEANS DETACHABLY SECURING SAID HANGER TO SAID CHAIR FRAME AT THE REAR THEREOF, A STORAGE RACK SHELF PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID HANGER AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND FORWARDLY THEREFROM INTO OVERLYING RELATION TO SAID STORAGE RACK SUPPORTING MEANS, SAID SHELF BEING ESSENTIALLY PLANAR WITHIN ITS SIDE AND END EDGES AND INCLUDING A LATERAL EDGE ADAPTED TO SLIDABLY ENGAGE SAID INCLINED SURFACE DURING FOLDING OF SAID FRAME SO AS TO CAUSE SAID SHELF TO BE PIVOTED ABOUT SAID HANGER UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY INTO THE COLLAPSED POSITION AS SAID FRAME IS FOLDED. 